Big Creek Greenway Bird Walk

Big Creek Greenway Bird Walk
Saturday, May 29; 8 to 9 a.m.; ages 6 and up*

Join a naturalist on a guided hike along the Big Creek Greenway in Forsyth County to greet spring migration. Field guides and binoculars are recommended, and a few pairs will be available to borrow. Meet at the Bethelview Road trail head for the Big Creek Greenway, located at 5120 Bethelview Road. Children ages 12 and under must be accompanied by a paying adult.

Click Here for More Details on the event.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

I’m a couple weeks behind in updating the site, but as of December 4th, 2009, phase 1 of the Forsyth Big Creek Greenway is open. This 4 mile segment of the trail stretching from McFarland Parkway to Highway 9 brings the total length of the trail to 6.7 miles in Forsyth County. This is nearly half the planned length of 15 miles when all sections are completed.  Plenty of space for bikers, runners, joggers, and walkers alike.

I’ve put up some pictures of the ribbon cutting ceremony that my in-laws were nice enough to take (thanks Judy!). I was unfortunately unable to attend due to my work schedule. Even with heavy rains earlier in the week that caused flooding and the chilly weather, the ceremony continued. The ribbon cutting was over shortly after 10am, and the trail opened with a motorized tour of the new segment for those who were interested.

Forsyth Big Creek Greenway Phase 1

The opening of the Forsyth Big Creek Greenway Phase 1 from Highway 9 to McFarland Parkway has been pushed back due to heavy rains in the area.  The new official trail opening will be on Friday December 4th at 10:30am.  There will be a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of the new 4 mile section of the greenway.

Heavy rains in the area have pushed Big Creek to near flood stage.  With additional heavy rain expected in the area, it will likely go over the minor flood stage of 7 feet at Kimball Bridge.  At the time of this article it was already at 6.7 feet.  Use caution visiting the trails when water levels begin to reach minor flood stage.

We’ll keep you up to date as we find out more about the opening of the trail Friday, including where the ribbon cutting will take place and if the ceremony gets pushed back due to the weather again.

December 2009 Big Creek Greenway Events

Biking and walking events are scheduled on the Big Creek Greenway in the coming weeks.  It looks like they are both individually organized (nothing official).

Sunday December 6th, 2009

Someone over at oacs-atlanta.com is organizing a kid-friendly bike ride get together on Sunday December 6th at 11am.  They are meeting at the Starbucks on North Point Parkway (next to Barnes and Noble near Mansell Road) and riding from Mansell Road to the end of the Alpharetta Greenway north of the YMCA and back.  Sign up for the ride here if you are interested.

Wednesday December 9th, 2009

Sticks and Strides Fitness Walking Club is hosting a Big Creek Greenway fitness walk at the Forsyth County Bethelview Road entrance on December 9th.  You can discuss and find out more details about the walk at Meetup.com.

Happy Trailing!

Forsyth Big Creek Greenway Phase 1 End of Trail

Phase 1 of the Forsyth County Big Creek Greenway trail was originally scheduled to open in early/mid November. With all the heavy rains and flooding in the area recently, that has been pushed back. It is now scheduled to open on December 2nd, just after Thanksgiving and just in time to exercise away those leftover turkey sandwiches.

The longest phase of the Forsyth Greenway, Phase 1 stretches between McFarland Parkway and Atlanta Highway 9.  It offers more of the same as Phase 2 and 3 with a mixture of paved areas and boardwalks.  The additional 4.5 miles of trail will make the Forsyth Greenway a popular spot for biking making the total trail 6.7 miles long (13.4 miles roundtrip.) [Phase 1 First Impressions]

So enjoy Thanksgiving break and get out to the Greenway while the weather is nice to make room for the winter holidays right around the corner.  Oh yeah, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Forsyth County Sheriff's Patch

Two events were scheduled this November for the public to learn about safety on the Big Creek Greenway Forsyth.  Sorry that I missed informing you of the first event that was held on November 4th, but another event is scheduled for Thursday, November 12th at 7 pm.

According to a flier picked up at the Bethelview Road start of the trail, representatives from the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office and Forsyth County park rangers will provide information about trail rules and regulations, hours of operation, trail patrols, and safety precautions.

I might note that the past few times I have walked the trail in Forsyth, other patrons have told of coyote sightings.  Tonight my wife and I were told by a fellow jogger that there were two coyotes “fighting” further down the trail near Polo Fields.  Please make sure your pets are on leashes and that you don’t leave young children unattended.

The event will be on Thursday, November 12th, at 7 pm at Sharon Springs Park (1950 Sharon Road : Click for a Map).  Specifics as to where in the park they will be meeting were not provided, but I imagine signs will be in place.